A Small Farm Making a Difference in the Dundas Valley.

This page contains news items, links to interesting sites, and anything else the market managers have wanted to share with you. They are listed in reverse chronological order, with the newest entries at the top.

The Weblog

This page contains news, event information, and other items added by myself, the intrepid farmer-in-process at Old 99. I send out a message every week, but most are set with a delete date about two weeks later. I archive some of the posts if they have content other than weekly availability of produce and meat.

You can send me questions too, which if they are of a general nature, I can post to this Old99 blog.

Old 99 Farm, week of Feb 20 2017

Check out my facebook page for what I’m reading and excited about around the world For instance a global NGO consortium is putting out a book in April called Drawdown, about a 100 ways to get carbon out of the air and stabilize the climate within 30 years.

Here at the farm, it’s quiet. First new crop of kale is ready to pick, others not far behind. Lots of meats in the freezers.

I’m going to a permaculture design course in Belize, led by Albert Bates, a major player in the grassroots effort to get climate under control. Be back on Mar 13, hopefully charged up to go for the year!

Sold out of carrots, will have to plant more this year. Have lots of potatoes and garlic, still some onions, lots of eggs.

Old 99 Farm, week of Feb 12 2017

We had a misfortunate event last week, the upright freezer failed; I found it on Friday with most of the poultry semithawed with some still mostly frozen. I know people think you can’t refreeze meats but these birds fine. I have lowered the price by about half for several turkeys geese and ducks and about 15 stew hens.

The root cellar is doing a good job keeping the potatoes and carrots firm and minimal sprouting only on carrots.

We have 5 lambs in the freezer, ranging from 35 to 50lb of meat each. Also still lots of pork and chicken. Eggs are in good supply.

Do any of you remember reading books on spiritual teachings, buddhism and peace activism by Joanna Macy? She’s still going strong at 87, coming out of retirement to engage people on climate disruption. Here’s an interview with her. I clipped some key ideas for you:
“Given how things were when we spoke in the summer of 2014, it’s difficult to believe it is this much worse in such a short time, yet here we are. From your perspective, how has this not caused more people to wake up and take a stand?”
" So the weakening of the mind, through the reasons I’ve given, and the culture bred on competition, command and control, power over…"
“have bled people of the nerve to challenge the absurdity or criminality of the larger systems. This makes it very easy for people to allow themselves to be lied to and to be bought. There is the fright induced by finding yourself essentially alone.”
“When people find that they can, and want to, feel and know and tell what is happening to our world, that is so much sweeter and [more] liberating than the opposite. When people get integrated and find how good it feels, then they really want that more than the narcotic of ignorance and delusion, as painful as it is.”
“It’s hard to wake up alone now. It’s scary to see even what is going on. But there is almost no limit, I’ve come to believe, to what we can do with the love and support of each other. There is almost no limit to what we can do for the sake of each other. "
“So it’ll be different for different individuals. But I think we should not make a move to do things alone. Find others. Even if it’s one other person to begin with. Then others will come. Because everybody is lonely. And everybody is ready to find what they most want. And if it means that we have to be in such danger for us to find out how much we need each other, then let it be that.”

Old 99 Farm, week of feb 5 2017

It’s wednesday and only two days till market, big rain yesterday eliminated remaining snow as we head back to subzero temps for a while. Normal for this time of year is -2 to -13, and the range of record high lows is +6 to -21.

The potatoes are keeping well in the cold cellar, there are carrots in the ground in the greenhouse, nice crisp and sweet. Still no greens, so sorry.

Lots of meats in the freezers and lots of eggs. Will offer a dollar off if you buy three dozen or more. I was in Goodness Me the other day, their top line eggs were $6.75 for large dozen. We’re $6 for Extra Large!

Old 99 farm, week of Jan 29 2017

We’re approaching the end of the "Persephones’ months when we get less than 10 hrs of daylight (barring clouds) and the plants just hang out in the greenhouse. Daylight hours now officially from 7:30 am to 5:30pm! The radishes, spinach and greens in the Hobbit House are sprouted and growing.

To repeat from last week, we have fresh lamb in the freezer, delivered last week, from 40 to 60 lbs each.
Lots of eggs, chicken and root vegetables.
Quiches prepared by Cami, frozen oven-ready

Old 99 Farm, week of Jan 15 2017

First, please note we are moving the market day to Thursday for this week only, as I am out of town and Cami can’t be here Friday to prepare.

We’re sorry for the juggling of the schedule, hope you can make it or will call with a suggestion to come on saturday or sunday.

We’ve just got 6 more lambs back from the butcher, from 40 to 70 lb wrapped weight. These are 2016 lambs and the last of the flock. I’m re-aligning the enterprises of the farm to suit our capacities and sheep are not a fit. So enjoy your lamb from a local farm, pasture raised, organic, while you can.

The veggies are limited for a while to root crops: carrots, potatoes, leek, garlic. We still have parsley growing and the new crops of kale, cabbage and chard are planted.

Old 99 Farm, week of Jan 1 2017

More for the symbolism of it, Cami and I were planting greens in the hillside greenhouse on Jan 1st! We moved kale and cabbages that were dormant in the main house, and planted lettuces, radishes and mesclun. They will take about three months to grow to market size, a month faster than if left in the unheated greenhouse, according to Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Harvest p49. We’ll see.

Old 99 Farm, week of Dec 19 2016

We will hold a market on Friday Dec 23, 4 to 6, and be available for last minute rush requests.

Here we are at the Solstice, Dec 21, shortest day of the year with 9 hours daylight. What a remarkable way to remember our intimate entanglement in the natural world! Makes me feel for the many blessings, realized and unrealized, of my daily life.

Do you have your turkey, ham, goose or duck for Xmas dinner? I have a good selection, so please don’t be shy. Call anytime.
All my meat is raised here on pasture: pork, turkey, beef, lamb, chicken, duck and goose. If you want lamb sausage or lamb kabobs made up on skewers like in the photo, pls make order.

Here’s a meditation for the week. Did you ever consider how the soil is like the stomach of plants? See Farmer Patrick Holden’s essay here, “it really began to dawn on me how understanding the intimate, biological and symbiotic processes involved in my own digestion sheds light on the equivalent processes taking place in the soils of my farm.”

“True generosity requires more than a credit card. Spending less money on Christmas forced us to be generous with our time, energy, and talents. Those are the best gifts of all – because they are priceless.”